Author: Sam

The Williamson County Historical Society held a membership meeting on Sunday, July 27^th, 2025 at their museum/library at 2:00 P.M. During the meeting society president, Sam Lattuca, went over projects undertaken at the museum & library since the last meeting, accessions taken in, upcoming projects and the state of the museum. The program was given by retired history teacher and local historian, Darrel Dexter. The program topic was,” George L. Burroughs:  Using the Illinois Central Railroad as an Underground Railroad.” He explained that the I.C. Railroad system was periodically used by runaway slaves to reach the north. At one time, the railroad was attempted to be sued on such an occasion.

Six members of the Gallatin County Historical Society were present and Cindy Decker and Janet Householder presented a quilt put together by one of their members in commemoration of the underground railroad.

The Williamson County Historical Society will be holding a membership meeting on Sunday, July 27, 2025 here at the museum/library at 2:00 P.M.

During the meeting we will be going over projects undertaken at the museum & library since the last meeting, accessions taken in, upcoming projects and the state of the museum. The program will be by historian, Darrel Dexter, and the topic will be,” George L. Burroughs:  Using the Illinois Central Railroad as an Underground Railroad.”

With the Miss Illinois Pageant taking place in Marion this week, it has attracted a lot of visitors to Marion and a portion of them have filtered through the museum. On Friday, June 27th, 2025, junior police officer, Declan Tobin from St. Charles, Illinois got a chance to check out our old cell block in the jail. Declan also spent some time with the Marion Police Department and by the time he arrived here he was sporting a utility belt complete with hand cuffs and Marion PD patches.

Our museum and library will be closed Friday, July 4th, 2025 in observance of our nation’s independence. We will be open the following day, Saturday, July 5th.

On June 20th, 2025, members of the Mazzara family came into the museum to donate a plaque dedicated to the memory of Bennie Mazzara, original owner of Bennie’s Italian food restaurant in Marion. Members of the family presenting the plaque to the museum were Bennie Mazzara’s 99 year old daughter in law, Faye (White) Mazzara, her daughter, Julitta Mazzara Zolghadr, and Bennie’s grandson, Bennie Harlan along with his wife, Sheila Harlan.

The WCHS participated in another Third Thursday event held in downtown Marion and sponsored by the Marion Connect’s organization on June 19, 2025. Our organization took part by offering photos taken in the old county Jail by professional photographer, Autumn Vinyard. In addition, the local Masonic Lodge participated by offering a free Family ID package to children and their families.

On June 20th, 2025, Sharon Vansaghi, WCHS Curator/Coordinator donates historic photos to Autumn Vinyard of the Saline County Historical Society. Occasionally we are gifted items that relate to other counties, and we try to repatriate these items to their corresponding county historical societies.

WCHS is helping to locate possible family members of the Oscar Stephen Cole family that lived previously in Goreville, Johnson Co. then in Marion from before 1920-1955. They had 2 columns mounted in front of the home at 1305 W. Main in Marion with COLE inserted, and they have recently been taken down, the owners wondered if family would be interested in them. The family lineage we have found is Oscar Stephen Cole b 1872- d 1943 & Clara Belle Foster d 1904, (sister to Clara, his second wife Celia Ann Foster died in 1955.  The two sons by Clara, Dausa Webster Cole b 1896 Goreville- d 1939, wife Mary, and Cline Merwin Cole b 1902 Goreville–died 1973. Cline M married Claudia Thomas, they had 2 children; Kay Cole Hopkins of Madison, Wisconsin and Charles M. “Tommy” Cole of Knoxville, Tennessee. Cline and Claudia were living in his mother in 1950, after which they were in Madison, Wisconsin. They had 3 children; Craig Cole Hopkins, Kelly Kay Hopkins, Edie Roceen Hopkins. Any contact information would be appreciated. We can be contacted at 618-997-5863 or emailed at wchsmail@yahoo.com

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WCHS participated in the first Marionopoly, presented by Marion Carnegie Library on June 12, 2025 from 5 o’clock to 7 o’clock on the tower square. We naturally were in the Go to Jail spot on the board. We handed out candy, brochures to the museum, Williamson Co. Jr. Deputy stickers and set up for attendees to have their photograph made with possibly the only married couple from the 1920’s Tiger Girl and Candy Kid who robbed banks and jewelry stores (not from so Illinois), aka our very own Michael and Gloria Spinks who did a great job.

Along with WCHS were 24 other local business participating at locations around the square/game board. At the end players also received a commemorative bookmark from the Carnegie Library.

The WCHS museum and library hasn’t had a paranormal group come look around since before covid struck. That all changed on June 7^th, 2025 when a group called Phantastic Ghost Hunters from Paducah, Kentucky came to see what they could find. The group is comprised of husband-and-wife team, Paula and Gavin Kelly with assists from their friend Sami Collins. They also occasionally work with the assistance of Gavin’s father and Vietnam vet, Joe Stimas.